Sturgeon Falls residents banned from owning animals for five years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Sturgeon Falls, ON (October 10, 2018) – Two people from Sturgeon Falls have been convicted under provincial animal welfare legislation following an investigation relating to the treatment of a dog in their care.

On September 17, 2018 Thomas Seguin, 32, and Michelle Auclair, 41, pled guilty in a Sturgeon Falls Provincial Offences Court to permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to comply with prescribed standards of care and failing to provide care necessary for their general welfare. The Justice of the Peace sentenced them each to two years probation, five years prohibition preventing them owning or caring for animals and they are subject to unannounced inspections. They were also ordered to pay $416 in restitution to the North Bay & District Humane Society.

On January 5, 2018, an Ontario SPCA officer with the North Bay & District Humane Society attended a residence in Sturgeon Falls after a concern was reported about the welfare of a dog. The officer observed a dog with red, inflamed ears that smelled strongly of yeast. The dog’s paws were also red and raw, with fur missing. Ontario SPCA Orders were issued to the owner to have their dog seen by a veterinarian.

When the owner failed to comply with that order, a search warrant was executed on the property. The dog was removed from the care of Seguin and Auclair and taken to a veterinarian. An examination revealed the dog was underweight and was suffering from severe flea allergy dermatitis and severe yeast infections in both ears. The dog was treated by a veterinarian and later re-homed by the North Bay & District Humane Society.

“Assuming the care of an animal means assuming full responsibility for providing all care necessary to that animal,” says Lynn Michaud, Senior Inspector, Ontario SPCA. “Allowing any animal to suffer needlessly for any reason is inexcusable.”